


Hearts, Stars, and Names

by Blackmoondragon1415



Category: Dragonheart (1996)
Genre: Gen, Written scene from movie, naming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-14
Updated: 2015-01-14
Packaged: 2018-03-07 14:32:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3176128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackmoondragon1415/pseuds/Blackmoondragon1415
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written piece depicting the scene where Bowen gives Draco his name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hearts, Stars, and Names

Bowen and his unusual companion were indeed an odd pair. For someone who had sworn to rid the world of dragons, one would find it a real ironic twist that the knight had one such fire-breather in his company. At the moment, they were settling down for the night, away from any villages, lest the dragon were to be spotted. And Bowen was trying to start a fire to cook a small animal that he had caught and skinned. It was proving difficult; the dragon's eyes following his futile efforts with an almost amused air.

"I can…" He started to say, but a look from the frustrated knight told him that Bowen did obviously not want to hear it.

"I really can…" The reptile tried again, and when Bowen refused to acknowledge him, a stream of fire swirled down and lit the logs in a matter of seconds. Bowen jumped up with a yelp and kicked a few stray embers back into the main fire.

"Sorry, Bowen. I hope you like it well done." Was all the reptile could say as the knight gave him an extremely peeved glare. Nether spoke as the evening dissolved into twilight, and then the stars came out in a twinkling décor. Bowen ignored the splendor, and started to tie up his horse for the night, removing the bags, and the shield studded with dragon's teeth and claws. The fire-breather gave these all a forlorn glance before speaking up.

"You must have hated us very much."

"I only hated one of you. The only reason I killed was because I wanted to kill him." The knight replied shortly.

"But I never found him, and I never will. If you're the last he must be dead." This theory seemed to satisfy him, as he sat down near the fire with a sigh.

"Yes. Tell me, what was he like, this dragon that you hated?" The curious reptile asked, a connection already formed, and a willingness to keep that connection a secret disguised in the form of this question.

"He only had half a heart, but even that was enough to pollute an innocent boy."

"Einion was no innocent! He polluted the heart!" The dragon protested, tone rising up to a more arguing stance. Instantly, he realized he had gone a sentence too far, for Bowen had gotten to his feet.

"How do you know that? How do you know that, dragon?" Bowen interrogated, stance marred with suspicion as the dragon before him avoided eye contact.

"All dragons know that story! What was to be their hope became their doom! A spoiled, ungrateful child was given a great gift, and destroyed it!" The reptile lied, letting what he had allowed to be bottled up for so long, all the while concealing his involvement with the heart, which beat a steady thrum in his ribcage, ticking down to the final hour.

"No. I knew Einion. I was his teacher. I taught him the ways of honor, of right." The knight parried, but the dragon could see the hint of doubt in his eyes. A memory of the day they had really met came back.

_"I serve the father only for the sake of the son. All my hopes rest on him."_

The dragon leaned forward, his deduction heavy with finality. "Then he betrayed you, just as he betrayed the dragon whose heart he broke."

Bowen shook his head, resolutely closing himself off to the truthfulness of the statement. "That's a lie, dragon."

"STOP CALLING ME DRAGON!" The irate fire-breather answered back, the flaming protest mired by a roar. "I have a name."

"Well, what is it?" Bowen asked, curiosity getting through the closed door; what kinds of names did dragons have?

"Hmph, you couldn't possibly pronounce it in your tongue." The dragon turned away, downright infuriated with the knight by now.

"Try me." Bowen challenged, turning nonchalantly back to the fire.

"It's-" But the reptile never got a chance to finish. A searing pain in his left shoulder forced him down to the ground with a pained cry, taking a few trees with him in descent. Bowen whipped around, moving quickly to the groaning heap.

"Can you move?" He asked, to which his companion nodded weakly. It took a bit of effort, mostly on the dragon's part, but eventually he was over in a more comfortable position by the fire. In his pain-hazed state, which slowly began to subside, he was aware of Bowen placing a wet cloth to the stinging shoulder.

"Oh dear." The reptile murmured to himself before addressing the knight. "Thank you. It's passed now."

"What was it?"

"An old complaint that acts up now and again." Came the ready excuse.

"Forgive me, if anything I've said upset you." Bowen apologized, suddenly guilty. He had seen dragons fight, and die, but never on the ground in sudden, unexplained pain. That was a new, albeit unsettling turn.

"It wasn't you, not you." He waved off Bowen's apology; it wasn't his fault, after all. Another, farther away, had inadvertently done it. But right now, the fire-breather's eyes grew heavy as he shifted a little before lowering his head and allowing sleep to overtake him. When he woke up later, to his mild surprise, he found Bowen, still awake, looking to the stars.

"Have you been watching over me all night?" His question was tinged with some humor, but it was mostly overshadowed by incredulousness.

"I've been thinking…"

"Yes? About what?"

"Many things. Mostly about what to call you. I think I've found you a name." Bowen declared, standing to look the fire-breather in the eye.

"You say that as though you reached up and plucked it from the sky." A light-hearted remark melded in with a chuckle, portraying no hint of the earlier drama.

"I did. Up there." The knight replied, gesturing to the heavens, and one particular cluster of stars. "Do you see that group of stars?"

"I know those stars very well."

"Do you see the shape that they make?"

"A dragon." Said creature answered, all in all wondering where exactly this was going.

"They call it Draco. It means 'dragon', in the scholar's speech." Bowen explained.

"So instead of calling me 'dragon' in your term you call me 'dragon' in some other term?" His companion asked teasingly, the almost funny conclusion reached in his mind. His grin fell a little as he noted that Bowen seemed to take his reply as a no.

"You're right. It's silly."

"No. I would be honored to be named after those stars. I truly would. Thank you, Bowen." The newly-dubbed Draco stated, utter seriousness and clear gratitude present in his voice. He repeated the name to himself, letting it roll off his tongue.

"Draco."

_Draco…_


End file.
